Overview

Following his blockbuster bestseller As the Crow Flies, Archer's new #1 international bestseller is a thriller taken straight from today's headlines. It is Spring in Washington, D.C., and Americans are embracing a new era under President Bill Clinton. But in Baghdad, Saddam Hussein is masterminding a sinister plot. . . . HC: HarperCollins.

Following his blockbuster bestseller As the Crow Flies, Archer's new #1 international bestseller is a thriller taken straight ...

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Overview

Following his blockbuster bestseller As the Crow Flies, Archer's new #1 international bestseller is a thriller taken straight from today's headlines. It is Spring in Washington, D.C., and Americans are embracing a new era under President Bill Clinton. But in Baghdad, Saddam Hussein is masterminding a sinister plot. . . . HC: HarperCollins.

Following his blockbuster bestseller As the Crow Flies, Archer's new #1 international bestseller is a thriller taken straight from today's headlines. It is Spring in Washington, D.C., and Americans are embracing a new era under President Bill Clinton. But in Baghdad, Saddam Hussein is masterminding a sinister plot. . . .

Editorial Reviews

Bill Kent

"Honor Among Thieves," the latest plotboiler by the British novelist Jeffrey Archer is a marriage of convenience between the more absurd James Bond adventures and the old "Mission: Impossible" television series; what suspense there is must be generated not by its cast but by an array of stunts, gadgets and chases. -- New York Times

From the Publisher

"There are enough twists, and the tantalizing prospect that Saddam might get what's coming to him, to keep the narrative moving at a brisk pace." -Washington Post Book World

Jeffrey Archer was educated at Oxford University. He has served five years in Britain's House of Commons and fourteen years in the House of Lords. All of his novels and short story collections--including And Thereby Hangs a Tale, Kane and Abel, Paths of Glory and False Impression--have been international bestselling books. Archer is married with two sons and lives in London and Cambridge.

Biography

Few contemporary writers can lay claim to as many career highs and lows as Jeffrey Archer -- bestselling novelist, disgraced politician, British peer, convicted perjurer, and former jailbird. And whether you view his misfortunes as bad luck or well-deserved comeuppance depends largely on how you feel about this gregarious, fast-talking force of nature.

Born in London and raised in Somerset, Archer attended Wellington School and worked at a succession of jobs before being hired to teach Physical Education at Dover College. He gained admission to Brasenose College at Oxford, where he distinguished himself as a first-class sprinter and a tireless promoter, famously inveigling the Beatles into supporting a fundraising drive he spearheaded on behalf of the then-obscure charity Oxfam.

After leaving Oxford, Archer continued work as a fundraiser and ran successfully for political office. He was elected to the House of Commons in 1969 but was forced to step down in 1974 when he lost his fortune in a fraudulent investment scheme. He turned to writing in order to stave off bankruptcy. His first novel, Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, was published in 1976 and became an instant hit. It was followed, in quick succession, by a string of bestsellers, including his most famous novel, Kane and Abel (1979), which was subsequently turned into a blockbuster CBS-TV miniseries.

On the strength of his literary celebrity, Archer revived his political career in 1985, serving as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The following year he was forced to resign over a scandal involving payment to a London prostitute. (He admitted paying the money, but denied vehemently that it was for sex.) In 1987, he sued a British tabloid for libel and was awarded damages in the amount of 500,000 pounds.

Despite the adverse publicity, Queen Elizabeth (acting on the advice of Prime Minister John Major) awarded Archer a life peerage in 1992. The Conservative Party selected him to run for Mayor of London in the 2000 election, but he withdrew from the race when perjury charges were brought against him in the matter of the 1987 libel trial. In 2001, he was convicted and served half of a four-year prison term. (He turned the experience into three bestselling volumes of memoir!) Since his release, Lord Archer has expressed no interest in returning to public office, choosing instead to concentrate on charity work and on his writing career.

Controversy has dogged Archer most of his adult life. Claims still circulate that he falsified his paperwork to gain entrance to Oxford; and, at various other times, he has been accused of shoplifting, padding expenses, insider trading, misappropriation of funds, and financing a failed coup d'état against a foreign government. Needless to say, all this has kept him squarely in the sights of the British tabloids.

Yet, for all the salacious headlines and in spite of lukewarm reviews, Archer remains one of Britain's most popular novelists. His books will never be classified as great literature, but his writing is workmanlike and he has never lost his flair for storytelling. In addition to his novels, he has also written short stories and plays. Clearly, in "art," as in life, Jeffrey Archer has proved himself an affable survivor.

Good To Know

Archer was once a competitive runner and represented Great Britain in international competition.

Regarding the sex scandal that ultimately landed her husband in prison, Lady Mary Archer, the author's wife of 35 years, told reporters that she was "cross" with her husband but that "we are all human and Jeffrey manages to be more human than most. I believe his virtues and talents are also on a larger scale."

The prison where Archer was transferred for carrying out his perjury sentence in October 2001 is a "low security" jail on the Lincolnshire coast, a facility known for raising high-quality pork. According to one authority, "It is considered to be a cushy little place."

After his "fall from grace," Archer counted former Conservative PMs Margaret Thatcher and John Major among his many loyal supporters.

In the 1980s, Archer and his wife, Mary, purchased the Old Vicarage, Grantchester, a house associated with the poet Rupert Brooke.

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Another "Wow" from a master writer. Keeps everyone entertained and in suspense.

This book is riveting and suspenseful throughout the novel. The plot keeps you spellbound as the characters race against time to correct a mistake that must be reversed by Independence Day.
There are the "Deal Makers" and the "Deal Breakers". Millions of dollars are exchanged to steal the most treasured American document to be given to a feared terrorist. The race is on to keep the United States and its new president from becoming the laughing stock of the world.
There is also romance between Scott Bradley, an undercover CIA agent and Hannah Kopec, an Israeli agent of the Mossad. They must retrieve the document from the Iraqi terrorist cell even if it costs them their lives.
It is an international thriller full of excitement and written expertly.
The reader is held in suspense until the entire book has been read from cover to cover. This is another excellent book by this great author.
The intrigue and fast moving plot keeps you from wanting to put the book now.

Cherry Blossom

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Anonymous

Posted June 11, 2003

Not His Best

It's Amateur Night on the international intrigue stage, as perennial bestseller Archer shows Saddam Hussein's henchmen grooming an actor to take the place of the President so that they can--push the button that starts WW III? Rather timely to read now after the recent war in Iraq.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted September 22, 2002

Highly recommended

Great. A wonderful addition to my collection.

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Anonymous

Posted April 3, 2001

GET TO THE REAL WORLD

GIVE THANKS AND PRAISE TO THE MOST HIGH,WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT JEFF ,WE ARE LOOKING ABOUT WRITER WHO KNOWS HOW TO ARRANGE AND MAKE THE READER HAVE HARDTIME PUT HE BOOK AWAY.ITS ALL ABOUT REAL WORLD ,NEED TO GET THIS DRAMA OF ALLTIME.

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